Wireless Charging of Electric Taxis demonstrator WiCET

The purpose of the WiCET project is to demonstrate the commercial and technical viability of wireless charging for electric Hackney Carriages in medium and large cities. Given the typical duty cycles of taxis and the required recharging times during a shift, wireless charging is considered to be an enabling technology that will support the introduction of electrified taxi operations. The installation of wireless chargers at taxi ranks for frequent charging boosts, offers the opportunity for maximising vehicle range and minimising recharging times. Wireless charging can thus help reduce the need for expensive, large batteries or to use range extender fossil fuel engines thus delivering cost effective zero emission operations.

This demonstrator will prove both the technical viability in Nottingham with 9 taxis charging wirelessly and the commercial viability for a large city such as London. The project will develop a vehicle interface to enable commercially available vehicle side wireless charging systems to be either retrofitted on to an electric vehicle or fitted by an OEM as an optional extra. A ground side vehicle identification and billing system will be developed to ensure that drivers are correctly charged for the electricity used. We will also work with taxi drivers to better understand their behaviours and attitudes to electric vehicles as well as rapid and wireless charging.

This project brings together all aspects of the wireless charging value chain and will clarify the route to market for both a retrofit and "factory option" product.